Jack Draper says he will need to bring his A game when he plays Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells later this week.
The British No.1 continued his title defence with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Francisco Cerundolo in what was only his fourth Tour-level match of the season. Draper recently returned to the Tour following a six-month injury layoff due to severe bone bruising in his service arm.
Awaiting him next will be 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who Draper describes as ‘the greatest player of all time.’ It will be only the second time they have faced each other on the Tour after the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, which Djokovic won in four sets.
“I haven’t really seen much of him play here, but I know what to expect from Novak,” Draper told reporters on Monday.
“I have been watching him since I was young. I think he’s obviously the greatest tennis player of all time, in my opinion. His mentality and just his level of tennis is always incredibly high.
“I’m going to have to play really well and take my chances, but more than anything, I’m just very grateful to not only be out here but to be having the opportunity to play against these guys, and keep on improving my level and giving myself another chance to compete on the stages I want to be at.”
The upcoming clash will be Draper’s first clash with a top 20 player on the ATP Tour since losing to Carlos Alcaraz at the Italian Masters last May. It is still early days in his comeback, but the 24-year-old insists his body is ‘feeling really good.’
“I think it was probably a good thing in Dubai that I played a couple of matches and maybe not more than that, because it sort of got me back used to competing but didn’t spike my load too much,” he commented.
“I think I was able to come here (Indian Wells), a week of training, and it was good to play a three-set match (in his first match) to get more time on court.
“Each day I’m practicing, as well, so it’s not like I’m playing every day. I feel really, really good and looking forward to just building some momentum with that.”
Djokovic will be eager to end Draper’s title defence as he seeks a record seventh trophy at the Masters 1000 event. The Serbian endured a roller-coaster third round match, beating America’s Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. It is the first time he has reached the last 16 of the tournament since 2017.
“It’s not going to get easier from here. The opponents are only going to get tougher and Jack Draper is next, who is the defending champ and playing on a really high level again,” Djokovic told The Tennis Channel.
“I love the challenge. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I am still here and playing, competing with these young guys is because I really want to see how they beat me.”
Draper is bidding to become the first British man to beat Djokovic since Dan Evans at the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters.
